Monday, October 5, 2009

The year 2005 will be remembered as the most congested, in term of competitions and matches, that S-league clubs have to deal with in Asia.

At the start of the year, there was the birth of a new competition for S-league clubs with the FAM-FAS Champions Series. It had four teams - with two teams each from Malaysia and Singapore - competing in two different editions of the competition - FAM-FAS League Champions Cup and FAM-FAS Cup Champions Cup - in a home and away format.

It saw 2004 Double Champions Tampines Rovers taking on 2004 Super League Champions Pahang while Home United, runner-up to Tampines Rovers in both domestic competition, took on 2004 FA Cup Champions Perak.

The early omens for the S-league clubs were bad as Tampines Rovers, with home advantage, would only come away with a draw against Pahang despite taking the lead through Noh Alam Shah but worse was having keeper RezalHassan dismissed in injury time which will prove costly in the second leg. On the same night across the Causeway, Home United crash to a 1-2 defeat at Ipoh to Perak after a second half comeback by the host with Protectors having scored through Indra in the first half.

Then the omens got worse in the case of Double Champions Stags as they went down 1-4 in Kuantan to Pahang as the Malaysian Champion went on a rampage against the Stags who had stand-in custodian Hafez Mawesi.

However, for Home United, it got brighter as the Protectors showed off their experience in Asian competition with a remarkable late 4-2 comeback win against Perak.

The Protectors took the lead through 2004 S-league top scorer EgmarGoncalves following a flowing move that started deep in their own half. A raking long-range pass from 2004 S-League Player of the Year J.Surachai picked out 2003 S-league Player of the Year Peres De Oliveira in space on the left channel. The Brazilian whipped a cross into the Perak box, picking out Goncalves who fired the ball into the net from six-yards out.

Perak were then reduced to ten men after HarizalIzuan was sent off for a nasty two-footed challenge on IndraSahdan.

The Protectors made their numerical advantage count in the second period when Goncalves scored his second of the game when he drilled a 25-yard screamer past Perak keeper Mohammed Hamsani. Surachai put Home United three up with the goal of the night. Capitalizing on a mix-up in the Perakdefence, the former Thailand international exquisitely chipped the ball with the outside of his right boot over the head of the helpless Hamsani and into the top corner of the net. The 34-year-old’s goal looked to have killed off the tie.

But not so as Perak staged a comeback when R. Surendren pulled one back for the Malaysians on the hour mark before Keita Mandjou headed Perak level on aggregate with a bullet header six minutes from time. The Guinean, who got both goals in the first leg at Ipoh, appeared to have now given Perak the trophy on the away goals rule.

Instead, the hero tag belonged to Fadzuhasny as the substitute, a late replacement for Indra, scored with a deflected effort in injury time.

Thus the honours were shared with Pahang winning FAM-FAS League Champions Cup and Home United winning the FAM-FAS Cup Champions Cup

As a Super Cup version, the FAM-FAS Champions Series had it purpose but much like the Super Cup all over the globe; it would have a tough time getting recognition other than a ‘gloried friendly’ trophy hardly worth fighting for.

The FAM-FAS Champions Series was over and bigger goals await in Asia and that was the AFC Cup 2005.

Funnily enough, the opening round of the AFC Cup saw S-league clubs taking on familiar faces but this time it was in reverse as Stags took on Perak with Home United taking on Pahang.

Like the FAM-FAS Champions Series though, the results were mixed as Stags went down 1-2 at Perak while Home United got the all-important opening victory over Pahang 2-1.

In the second round, the situation got worse for the Stags as they were held to 1-1 draw against Hong Kong Champions Sun Hei despite having home advantage and the omens were now of doom for the 2004 Double Champions for apart from one point from a possible six, their performances in Asia were nothing like their performances in the S-league where they were flying high and questions were now asked if Tampines Rovers, packed with ex-Warriors players, were looking set to suffer the SAFFC fate of doing well in the S-league but failures in Asia.

This was not the case for Home United as they wrapped up a second victory against HappyValley with a Peres freekick special and tops their group with a three-point gap and looking comfortably set for the quarter-final.

This story though was set for a twist in the third round where Stags, despite another unconvincing performance, got their first ever victory in Asia against Club Valencia with a MirkoGrabovac goal as the former Singapore international finally added to his Asian goal tally after a five-year wait. For the Protectors, they went down 1-0 to Maldives champions New Radiant and the group, which they were looking comfortable to win, was now thrown wide open.

In the fourth round, S-league clubs finally move up into full gear as both Stags and the Protectors recorded comfortable victories in their respective matches with Stags thrashing Club Valencia with the four goals coming from an own goal, Mirko, Noh Alam Shah and AliffShafaein while the Protectors, despite down to ten men, got a 2-0 win against New Radiant with goals from Egmar and Peres to return back to the top of the group.

With two rounds left, the Protectors were looking good for the quarter-final as long as they did not lose in Kuantan against Malaysia Super Champions Pahang and they achieved that with a 3-3 draw although one must admit they were not pleased with that outcome as going into injury-time, the Protectors were leading 3-2 with goals from Aide, Egmar and Peres and surely set for a memorable win but for a moment lapsed in concentration at the very end.

Still, the Protectors looked set to win the group as their final game was at Bishan against bottom-dweller HappyValley who had only gather one point out of a possible fifteen.

For the Stags, they played probably their best match to date in Asia against Perak at the Tampines Stadium and the Malaysians could not coped with the attacking football displaced by the S-league Double Champions as goals from Noh Alam Shah, MirkoGrabovac and BrankoHucika gave them a 3-1 lead at half-time. Another goal from Noh Alam Shah in the second half was enough to give the Stags the all-important victory.

Now the stage was set for the Stags to overtake leader Sun Hei as only the group winners was assured of a place in the last eight and a second place finish may not be enough.

However the Stags could not achieved that as they were held to a 1-1 draw despite leading 1-0 through a Noh Alam Shah goal until the last minute when Sun Hei scored their equalizer.

Fortunately though, like the Eagles last year, the Stags had gathered enough points to assure themselves a place in the last eight and on the same night, the Protectors thrashed HappyValley, as expected, 5-0 with FadzuhasnyJuraimi grabbing the rare chance to start in Asia with a hat-trick to top their group.

In the draw for the last eight, tough matches were set up for the S-league teams with Tampines Rovers meeting Jordan league champions Al Faysali and Home United meeting Lebanon league champions Al Nejmeh.

The AFC Cup was not set to return until September and the domestic scene became the two clubs concern but for the Double champions, there was another distraction to follow with the upcoming second edition of the ASEAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP in Brunei.

To claim Tampines Rovers stroll from the group stage in ASEAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP was an understatement as the Double champions won all their three matches; scoring six goals against tough oppositions in five days.

In the opening match, the Stags dispatched Myanmar league champions Finance & Revenue 2-1 with MustaficFahrudin grabbing the opener as he sweetly volleyed home from a cross and then MirkoGrabovac, who cannot stop scoring in Asia now having broken his five-year duck, grabbing the winner from a header.

The next match saw goal machineMirkoGrabovac continued his goal-scoring form as he opened the account from a lovely square pass from AliffShafaein. Stags doubled their lead as they were awarded a penalty when Grabovac was pulled down by a Thaidefender in the box and Sead kept his cool and converted the penalty to take the 2-0 lead into the first half. Mirko, surely the Man of the Match, extended the lead further when he headed in the third goal for team, his second in the match, after Tobacco's keeper SujinNaknayom misjudged a cross from AliffShafaein. Three goals up, the Stags lost concentration for a moment to allow Thai Champions Tobacco Monoploy a goal back but there was no denying Stags all three points and a place in the semi-final.

The last game meant more to DPMM, who were fighting for a spot in the semi-final, and Stags changed quite a number of starting players but was still strong enough to win the game 1-0 with a SantiChaiyaphuak goal but the result matter not in the end as bothteams reach the semi-final.

In the semi-final, Stags met tough resistance from Vietnam champions Hoang AnhGia Lai as both sides could not break down one another with the result a 0-0 draw at full time and extra time was required but even then, there was no outcome so penalty kicks seem the only way to decide the game and Tampines Rovers proved stronger in that department winning 5-3 to reach the Final.

The team waiting in the ASEAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP final was a familiar name and it was Malaysia Super Champions Pahang.

The chance for revenge for the defeat in the FAM-FAS League Champions Cup was at the doorstep of the Stags and was the final a game to remember.

Pahang started the game brightly as Tampines Rovers found it hard to settle in the first half with Pahang dictating the flow of the game and it was no surprise when Pahang took the lead before the first period ended. After the break, Pahang immediately doubled their lead scoring just one minute after the restart and all hopes seem lost for Tampines Rovers.

Then, on the hour mark, a surprising change of events with a long ball pumped up into the Pahang box and the two Pahang defenders and goalie stood to watch with one another expecting the other to clear it but not Noh Alam Shah as he stole in between the trio to steal the ball before firing it home to reduce the deficit.

Hope was now restored and the Stags were playing their flowing football once again and goal machine Mirko grabbed his fourth goal of the competition as he scored after firing through the legs of the goalie after being sent through and it was all square.

But the Stags were not finished with MustaficFahrudin rising tallest to head home a goal from a corner to give Tampines Rovers the lead for the first time in the game with Pahang totally losting their focus.

Even then, the Stags showed their ruthless finishing with another goal as Noh Alam Shah headed in his second of the night from a freekick to wrap up the game for the Double Champions who are now crowned ASEAN champions as well.

This was the Republic first regional club trophy and a remarkable achievement in the tenth year of the S-league.

With such determination and performances at the ASEAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP, Stags chances in the AFC Cup certainly received a boast but the Jordan champions Al Faysaliwas no meant feat to defeat and the road came to an end in the AFC Cup for the newly crowned ASEAN champions.

Al Faysali won the first leg 1-0 at home in Amman and in the return leg at Tampines Stadium, they achieved the same result, winning 1-0 for a 2-0 aggregate win.

Home United did no better despite getting custodian Lionel Lewis before the end of the S-league transfer window as both their keepers -RidzuanFatahHassan and Amos Boon - at the club were proving unreliable at best.

The first leg at Bishan was a whitewash for the Lebanon’s champions Al Nejmeh with a 3-0 win against Home United and it seem the return leg was now meaningless but the Protectors did try to make a game of it but lost out 2-3 at Beirut.

With that, the Republic challenge ended in the quarter-final stage this year in the hand of West Asian teams yet again.

To call it mixed year due to the earlier knockout in the quarter-final stage of this year AFC Cup while winning the ASEAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP would not be right as it was indeed a remarkable feat by Tampines Rovers and clearly, the early years of the S-league when local clubs could not matched the Thai and ASEAN counterparts were now a thing of the past and the Republic teams could even be a notch above them.

However, it is now the West Asian teams who are blocking the next stage of Singapore club development and this barrier is a lot tougher than the ASEAN barrier which S-league teams broke down.

Still, once this barrier can be broken down, the development of club football in the Republic would no doubt take a giant step forward and having come so far it will be crazy to give it up now.